Ten Tribes Studies (20 January, 2013, Shevet 9, 5773)
Contents:
1. A Problem Solved: The Future Messiah will be Descended from both Nathan and Solomon!
2. Bruce McKerras: Return of the Twelve Tribes.
3. Answer to Question about Herman L. Hoeh, the Karaites, and the Oral Law.
4. New Series in Preparation. The Wars of Joseph.
5. Role to Rule almost Ready.
1. A Problem Solved: The Future Messiah will be Descended from both Nathan and Solomon!
In our studies we use Scripture as an authority. We apply literal interpretations as much as possible. This is in line with Rabbinical traditions.
See:
The Literal Meaning of Prophecy
We also refer to Rabbinical Commentaries which we find to be supportive, of and supplementary to, what we consider to be the literal meaning especially concerning the Ten Tribes. Rabbinical Commentaries may, at least at a superficial level, sometimes contradict each other. We have no problem with this. Religious Jews are bound to obey the Rabbis, whether they agree with them or not, in the practical application of the Law. Concurrence in other matters, such as the correct interpretation of Biblical passages, is not compulsory. Nevertheless in the eyes of many, including ourselves, agreement is desirable. We were therefore somewhat taken aback by a source that seemed to contradict what we took to be the Biblical message. Unbeknown to us at the time, this same source had itself already resolved the contradiction. The solution became known to us when perusing a soon-to-be published work by Alexander Zephyr many of whose articles have been posted to our web-sites.
The future Messiah will be a descendant of David. David had numerous sons. Two of his sons were Nathan and Solomon. It seems quite clear from the Bible that the Messiah will come through the line of Solomon. Nevertheless I was somewhat nonplussed when I came across an article quoting the Zohar that the future Messiah would be from the line of Nathan, another son of David.
This mild bewilderment was reflected in an answer we gave:
Brit-Am Now no. 1484
#2. Question about the Parentage of the Future Messiah
We said:
The Messiah must through his father be a descendant of David from the Tribe of Judah. The overwhelming opinion is that the Messiah must not only be descended from David but also through the line of Solomon. One minority opinion says he will not be from the Line of Solomon but rather from that of Nathan another son of David. This latter opinion is rejected (as far as I know) by all other authorities.
The implied conundrum (Nathan or Solomon?) was resolved by Alexander Zepyr who says:
Quote:
# The Messiah will be ... from the house of King David, a direct descendent through King Solomon (2 Samuel 7:12-15; 1 Chronicles 17:11-14).
There is another opinion expressed in the Book of the Zohar that the Messiah will be descended from Solomon's brother Nathan, another son of David. But Nathan (it is a well established fact) died childless. Then, how could it be possible for the Messiah to come from the childless Nathan? The Zohar finds an explanation. Actually, it says, Hephzibah, the wife of Nathan, will be the mother of the future Messiah. It is she who brings good tiding to Zion" (Isaiah 40:9).
After the death of Nathan, his brother Solomon, following the requirements of Jewish Law, married his widow Hephzibah and restored the seed to his deceased brother. Although this first born boy was a result of the marriage between King Solomon and Hephzibah, widow of Nathan, by levirate marriage the child is consider as being a continuation of the deceased Nathan's line.
That is why the Zohar assumes that the Messiah will descend through the lineage of Nathan (Zohar 3:173b). #
End Quote.
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2. Bruce McKerras: Return of the Twelve Tribes
Hi Yair,
It seems to me that there is a lot of confusion about how all 12 tribes will come to live in all of the holy Land.
Most of the prophets tell us how the Lord will clear and cleanse the Land before this can happen. The prophet Zephaniah is one of the clearest, in Zephaniah 3:9- how the Lord will 'pour out His burning anger"and in verse 15, He has "swept away the enemies', then in verse 20 - 'I will gather you and bring My people home'.
This sequence of events is repeated many times and in Deuteronomy 32:34-35 we see that the trigger for the Lord to take action is 'when My enemies foot slips', that is when they make the mistake of attacking Israel.
Bruce McKerras
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3. Answer to Question about Herman L. Hoeh, the Kariates, and the Oral Law.
Charity Henry wrote:
Dear Mr. Davidy,
Go ahead and publish this in your news letter.
I was reading your Brit-Am news letter and noticed that you said that the Karaites were a troublesome group of Jews.
That is not true. I'm a church of God member and many of the beliefs that Herman L. Hoeh and other writers had came from the Karaites and he praised them. You wrote a nice obituary for Herman Hoeh, but you've talked badly about the Karaite Jews. I hate conspiracy theories too, so I can understand your discust of those. I don't care for the Ephraimites and I don't think any of us ought to pursue moving to Israel, but calling the Karaites troublesome is going too far. I don't expect you to agree with me and its okay with me that you have your own beliefs, but you shouldn't say bad things about the Karaites. They didn't do anything to deserve that. I don't claim to be an expert on anything, but I did do some research.
Some beliefs that Herman Hoeh and Richard H. Paige shared with Karaites were
Only Levites from the house of Aaron had the right to make oral law of any kind. Jews do not.
The Levites could only make certain kinds
of laws based on scripture and had to be extremely careful when making these.
Ezra and Nehamiah bound some things to the Jews, but they were both Levites.
The oral law did not give power to change dates such as
shavuot or passover.
Herman Hoeh got the sacred calendar that Church of God members use from the Karaites.
http://cog-ff.com/audio/Ancient%20Israel/Ancient%20Israel.html I got the info from this website under the oral law lecture.
Charity
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Brit-Am Reply:
Quote
# Well, as a Jew, I have zero problem with people who think we are going to hell, as long as they don't try to stop me or help me get there # Rabbi Daniel Lapin.
End Quote
Shalom,
First of all the Lost Ten Tribes are amongst Western Peoples. That is the main point of everything we do and teach. Everything else should be subsidiary to this.
This is what has to be made known.
All our other comments and observations etc may well be important but they are not what we want to stress.
The Ten Tribes were Exiled for Inventing their own Religious Beliefs!
It says:
Isaiah 8:20: "To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them."
See:
"Collective Responsibility and Rabbinical Authority"
http://britam.org/rabbis.html
I do not really care whether you believe in Judaism or not.
I personally believe in it and therefore here and there my own beliefs and prejudices etc will come to the fore but this is not our aim.
Now to your questions,
I am not familiar with Richard H. Paige.
Herman Hoeh contacted me in Israel and recommended my book, "The Tribes" to his friends and pupils. Later we became familiar with his historical work and found it of great value and interest. I read a few articles about him. One of his characteristics was an ability to change his opinion when new facts became available. He did not consider himself infallible.
He was an academic and a scholar who formed his opinions on the information available.
Perhaps an anecdote from my personal experience can help explain misguided understandings of the Oral Tradition. I (Yair Davidiy) was technically born Jewish but was brought up in a non-Jewish environment. My childhood years I spent in a rural area in Australia where there were no religious Jews that I knew of. Being an inquisitive child of intellectual inclination interested in History, the Bible, and Religion, and being Jewish I was naturally interested in Judaism if only to know what it was about. I managed to read a few books on the subject all of which were written by Reform-type Jews or by academics. They all said the Oral Law was a human invention which they praised. Why should I not believe them? Why should Herman Hoeh and others like him have not believed them?
Later I became more familiar with the sources.
My understanding is that the Sages and Rabbis had the authority to explain and enforce Torah Laws on the whole community.
See:
"Collective Responsibility and Rabbinical Authority"
Not only that but in most cases the Rabbinical Rulings are to be found hinted at in the Hebrew Text of the Bible.
It stands to reason that if the Laws of the Bible were to be put into effect then there should be someone to explain them and the explanation should be carried out uniformly.
In case of doubt an accepted system of authority was to exist. Levites were mentioned but so was the Judge who will be in those days that the question was being asked.
[Deuteronomy 17:9] AND THOU SHALT COME UNTO THE PRIESTS THE LEVITES, AND UNTO THE JUDGE THAT SHALL BE IN THOSE DAYS, AND ENQUIRE; AND THEY SHALL SHEW THEE THE SENTENCE OF JUDGMENT.
[Deuteronomy 17:10] AND THOU SHALT DO ACCORDING TO THE SENTENCE, WHICH THEY OF THAT PLACE WHICH THE LORD SHALL CHOOSE SHALL SHEW THEE; AND THOU SHALT OBSERVE TO DO ACCORDING TO ALL THAT THEY INFORM THEE:
[Deuteronomy 17:11] ACCORDING TO THE SENTENCE OF THE LAW WHICH THEY SHALL TEACH THEE, AND ACCORDING TO THE JUDGMENT WHICH THEY SHALL TELL THEE, THOU SHALT DO: THOU SHALT NOT DECLINE FROM THE SENTENCE WHICH THEY SHALL SHEW THEE, TO THE RIGHT HAND, NOR TO THE LEFT.
[Deuteronomy 17:12] AND THE MAN THAT WILL DO PRESUMPTUOUSLY, AND WILL NOT HEARKEN UNTO THE PRIEST THAT STANDETH TO MINISTER THERE BEFORE THE LORD THY GOD, OR UNTO THE JUDGE, EVEN THAT MAN SHALL DIE: AND THOU SHALT PUT AWAY THE EVIL FROM ISRAEL.
[Deuteronomy 17:13] AND ALL THE PEOPLE SHALL HEAR, AND FEAR, AND DO NO MORE PRESUMPTUOUSLY.
Moses set up councils throughout Israel to settle minor cases with an overall authority of seventy elders.
[Numbers 11:16] AND THE LORD SAID UNTO MOSES, GATHER UNTO ME SEVENTY MEN OF THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL, WHOM THOU KNOWEST TO BE THE ELDERS OF THE PEOPLE, AND OFFICERS OVER THEM; AND BRING THEM UNTO THE TABERNACLE OF THE CONGREGATION, THAT THEY MAY STAND THERE WITH THEE.
[Numbers 11:17] AND I WILL COME DOWN AND TALK WITH THEE THERE: AND I WILL TAKE OF THE SPIRIT WHICH IS UPON THEE, AND WILL PUT IT UPON THEM; AND THEY SHALL BEAR THE BURDEN OF THE PEOPLE WITH THEE, THAT THOU BEAR IT NOT THYSELF ALONE.
That is it concerning the Oral Law. Take it or leave it. There is no reason for a Gentile to accept this.
We are not out to make people Jews. We are out to spread knowledge of Israelite ancestry.
As for the Kariates.
Historically there was a group of that name. They did not believe in the Oral Law and maybe did not believe at all. They claimed that everybody and anybody can apply the practical applications of the Torah however they like. They still have some descendants but are not really active in the religious sense.
In addition, a handful of descendants of Orthodox Jews from the USA living in Israel have declared themselves to be Karaites. They have a following amongst non-Jewish Christian types.
And that is all.
It was these ne'er do-well pseudo-Karaites we were speaking of.
In fact we think that the attraction some non-Jews have for pseudo-Karaite teachings emanates from anti-Jewish desires. Some Christians want to think bad of the Jews and they wish to believe the Jews are mistaken. They will have to answer to the Almighty for this.
"He that toucheth you, toucheth the apple of his eye" (Zechariah 2; 8):
The pseudo-Karaites are in error. It is not my fault.
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4. New Series in Preparation. The Wars of Joseph.
We are preparing a new series of interesting articles entitled The Wars of Joseph.
We will give historical outlines showing their implications for today. We shall also attempt to show how the characteristics of Joseph and the Tribes are indicated by recent history. The Biblical Identity of other nations, such as Germany and Austria, will also be reflected in this series.
The first few articles will deal with World War 1.
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5. Role to Rule almost Ready.
Our new edition of Role to Rule is almost ready. It should be presented at first in e-book form. This is an interesting and valuable work. The first edition was good and sold out quite quickly. The new revised edition should be even better. Even though we had been through the material in one form or other on countless occasions beforehand we still felt a thrill in preparing it once again for publication.
The Ten Tribes especially Joseph were prophesied to rule over many other nations and strongly influence all of mankind. This is what they have done and still do. This should be made known. This in itself is a very strong indication that the Tribes of Joseph are to be found amongst the English-speaking peoples. These proofs are supplemented and complemented by additional evidence that in its own right is also of strong import,